Elevator for use with tobacco harvester



March 25, 1958 J. J. HARRINGTON ET AL ,8

ELEVATOR FOR USE WITH TOBACCO HARVES'IER Filed Feb. 7; 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

Joseph .1 Harrington Adom'ra m J. Ji/cofl Jo /m 0. Mitchell Bertram L. JordanJ Charles B. Stansfie/d IN VEN TORS.

March 1953 J. J. HARRINGTON ET AL 2,828,030

ELEVATOR FOR USE WITH TOBACCO HARVESTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 7, 1955 8 n d m MM A 9w fi /U V .m m nw wm F M J 5 a JmW m W I hma fi, m Wmnflfi mwmwm w JAJBC March 2 1958 J. J. HARRINGTON ET AL ,0

ELEVATOR FOR USE WITH TOBACCO HARVESTER Filed Feb. 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 m Fig. 3

Joseph J. Harrington Adan/ram J. Ji/cor/ Fig.6 4/ John 0. Mitchell Bertram L. Jordan c-rfia Char/e5 f I A; INVENTORS.

March 25, 1958 J. J. HARRINGTON E'f AL 2,823,030

ELEVATOR FOR USE WITH TOBACCO HARVESTER Filed Feb. 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 7 L/0 no Joseph! Harrington Adan/ram J. Ji/coff John 0. Mitchell Bertram L. Jordan Charles B. SIansfie/d INVENTORS.

United States Patent ELEMAZIOR FDR: USE: WJ IEELTOBAQGQ HARVESTER,

Joseph J. Harrington; Eewiston; Adoniram; J. Jilcott, Roxobel; John D:- Mitchell; Woodville, Bertram L. fordan, Irewistony-andr Charles Bt Stansfieht, Woodvrilc, N. 13., assiguorsttoiHarringtouiMauufactutmgrCo ,,lner, Lewiston Ns (13,, acorporation ofiNorth-Carolma Application February "7,": 1955; Serial No. 486,563

, 1-,-.Claim.. (GLIDE-1,30)

of an elevator foruse witha tobacco harvester, thatis adapted tocarry racks in a detachablemanner and whereinthe racks may be-loweredfrom a position-in alignment with the upper platform of} the tobacco harvester to a position overlying a truck'and providing means whereby the rack may be automatically lifted ,ofi of the: rack-supporting; structure: of the elevator;

An additional object of the invention lies in the provision of novel means for raising and loweringan elevator so as to always maintain a rack-supportingstructure and the rack supportedthereby substantially horizontal and wherein friction brake means including an overriding clutclnis provided for maintaining; a, minimum of strain on the drive handle of a crank used for actuating the elevator.

An additional feature ofgtheinvention-lies in;the,pr,ovision of automatic latchingmeans for. automatically holding the elevator inaraised position until it is desired to lower the elevator;

Still. further objects. and features of this invention reside inrthesprovision ofan elevator for use with a=tobacco harvester that is simple in construction, capable of being readily associated with a tobacco harvester, capable of being inexpensively and speedily manufactured for wide use and distribution, and which is highly eflicient in operation.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts Figure 3 is a rear elevational View of the elevator as ice Figure-Shea" detail view illustrating the constructionv of one-form qf latclr means;

Fi'gtlre-d'is'a plan view of a portion of the latch, means;

Figure 7am enlarged-sectional detail, view illustrating the construction'ofthe means for operating the shaft used for raising and loweringthe elevator;

Figure 8' is-an enlargedsectional detail view as taken alongthe planeof line' 8-8; in Figure, 7 and, illustrating the construction oi the pawl and; ratchet forming part of the overriding; clutch utilized} in the, invention;

Figure-9 isan elevational view of amodified form of latch means incorporating, the invention; and

Figure, 10 is a plan view'ofthe modified form of latch means."

Withcontinuing-reference, to the; accompanying, draw.- ing s wherein like references designate similar parts throughout the-variousviewsand with initial attention directed-"to Figure 1, the reference numeral 10, is used to generally designatea tobacco harvester of the type dis closed'in the patent to Jim Brownv Holliday, Patent No. 2672242; issuedMarch 136; 1954-, for Tobacco, Harvester. This tobacco harvester includes upwardly extending supports'such as are indicated at'12 and 14, see Figure3, whichcarry'a platform 1,6 suppqlfted on a tubular frame work 18% Afiixed'tqth'e support members 12' and 14v are suitable ground-engaging wheels, as at 20 and 22, and associated with thesupport members 12 and 14 area pair of matchihgplates-fdr wheel coverings or pants 24. and 26, see-Figure 2, 'Phe-pants24 and 26' arerheld'outwardly of the-support"menrbers- 12-and 114; by suitable supporting members 28 and 30 and pivotally attached to these plates M ami" 26- are pairs of links see Figure 1, as indicated at 32 and 34 for'the-plat e*24: Thepairs of links 32 and 34 and- 36=and 38* arepivotally, attached; to legs 40 and 42 in-any eonvenient manner, and, the legs 40 and 42'have secured thereto; suitable channel-shaped supporting; arms 44 and= 46 which-arespacedjapartfrom each other and which are'adap tedto; carryracks 48. The racks 48' are provided=with peripheral framework 50 andhorizontally extending slats-52 Racks of other suitable configurations can-be" utilized.

Carried bythe rack-supporting structure including, the arm-44 isa suitable-latch; mechanism 54 which can be seenbestdnFigures 1, Sand 6. This latch mechanism 54 includes a mounting plate 56 having lugs 58 and 60 struck therefrom which carry a shaft 62 on which a latch element 64 is rotatably mounted. A spring 66 is provided for continuously urging the latch element 64 into engagement with a detent 68 carried by the harvester 10. Hence, when the elevator is in a raised position the latch element 64engages the detent 68 to lockingly hold the elevator in a raised position until manually disengaged. Alternatively, there may be pivotally attached, as is shown in Figure 9 as at 70, a latch element 72 which is adapted to engage a pin 74 or like structure carried by the racksupporting member 44. A manually depressible handle 76may be provided for the latch element 72 so as to disengage the latch element 72 when it is desired to lower the elevator.

Mounted within a horizontal tubular portion of the framework 18 is a shaft 80 having drums S2 and 84 mounted thereon about which cables 86 and 88 are wound, the cables being attached to eyes 90 and 92, see Figure 2, attached to the legs 40 and 42. The shaft 80 extends through suitable bearings as at 94, 96, 98 and 100 and has a gear 102 keyed thereto as at 104, as can be best seen in Figure 7. The gear 102 is also mounted within a housing 106 pinned as at 108 and otherwise secured by fasteners 110 to the harvester 10. The housing 106 also has mounted therein a worm 112 on a drive shaft 114 which extends downwardly and outwardly of the housing,

the toothed disk plate118.

The worm 112 and gear 102 serve as a reduction gear assembly.

Mounted on the shaft 114 just below the casing 106 is a disk plate 116 which is fixed to the shaft 114. -Anothr disk plate 118 is provided with teeth 120, see Figure 8, and is free to turn on theshaft-114. A fiber friction disk 122 is positioned between the disk plate 116 and A bearing assembly 124 is positioned immediately below the toothed disk plate 118 and a spring 126 yieldingly engages the bearing assembly 124, thus urging the disk plate 118 into engagement with the fiber disk 122 which frictionally engages the disk plate 118. Adjustable jamb nuts 130 are received on the threadsd end 132 of the drive shaft 114 and there is secured to the end 132 of the drive shaft 114 a suitable crank 134 for rotation thereof.

Also mounted on a suitable bracket 136 carried by the housing 116 and held in place against vertical movement by collars 138 and 140 held in place by setscrews 142 and 144 is a pawl shaft 146 which carries a pawl 148. A spring urged mechanism 149 of any convenient construction is provided for continuously urging the pawl 148 into engagement with teeth 120. When raising the elevator, the pawl 148 rides over the teeth 120 on the disk i118 allowing the elevator to be raised quite easily, but

ing the cables 86 and 88. V The tobacco is looped on sticks and with the elevator in a raised position, the sticks are laid across the detachable pallet or rack 48. Then, when the pallet is loaded a truck or trailer is backed under the elevator to be unloaded. The safety catch of the latching mechanism 54 is then tripped and the elevator is lowered using the drive crank 134. When the pallet rests on the body of the truck, the elevator is lowered a slight bit more to clear the pallet and then the truck may be driven away with the elevator empty and the pallet with the load of tobacco thereon on the truck. The parallelogram linkage including the arms 32, 34, 36 and 38 serve to always maintain the pallet or rack 48 in a horizontal position.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In combination with a vehicle having an elevated horizontal platform with upwardly extending support members, said elevator forming an extension of said platform when said platform is in a raised position, said elevator comprising a pair of transversely spaced rack supporting arms, vertically extending legs secured to the intermediate portions of said rack supporting arms, said legs terminating at their lower ends in ground engaging bases, parallel links pivotally connected to said legs and said upwardly extending support members for retaining said rack supporting arms in a horizontal plane at all times, an article supporting rack detachably carried by said rack supporting arms in overlying relation thereto, means carried by said platform and connected to said legs for selectively elevating said elevator from a position whereby said bases engage the ground to a position where said rack forms an extension of said platform, and cooperating latch means on said rack supporting arms and said platform, said latch means including anupstanding keeper carried by said platform adjacent each corner thereof disposed adjacent said elevator, a guide carried by each of said rack supporting arms and guidingly engageable with said keeper to align said rack with-said platform, and pivotally mounted latch members carried by said guides and engageable with said keepers to lock said elevator in its position where said rack is alignedwith said platform.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany May 7, 

